


The Wedding Show!  Episodes 10-12

by Casey (nic)



Series: The Wedding Show [5]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-06
Updated: 2016-07-14
Packaged: 2018-07-22 00:50:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7411939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nic/pseuds/Casey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After coming face-to-face with his past, will Jared stay on the show?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Well, contestants, after a shocking last week of twists and turns, we lost not only one, but two couples!"  As expected, Ana-Maria had refused to have anything to do with Jack ever again.  "This means you are all safe from elimination this week, but it doesn't mean you can relax.  Every challenge is a chance to win money towards your wedding fund, and everything you do is watched by your thousands of fans who get to decide just which of you will make it to the end!"

As if they needed the reminder.

Jared and Jensen were still there - but Jensen had no freakin' clue where they stood right now.  Jensen had already been asleep by the time Jared had returned to the house, and with the crack-of-dawn call time, there'd been no chance to talk. 

"So let me introduce you to today's challenge- one that I like to call...Destination...Romance!"  To thunderous applause, the wedding planners paraded on stage, each holding what looked like a bunch of (overly large) tickets.  "We've set a budget and need you to plan your ideal honeymoon.  The team that's both the most creative _and_ romantic will win this challenge."

"Do we have any geographical limits?" asked Blair.  "I always assumed I'd go to Paris for my honeymoon."

"Of course you did, darling," said Chuck, taking her hand and kissing it. 

"Well, if you can get to Paris within your budget, then power to you!"  Gretchen grinned mischievously.  "However, I can't guarantee that you'll exactly be able to afford the honeymoon suite after that...." 

"Budget doesn't matter, as long as I'm with the beautiful Lydia!" offered Stiles.  She rolled her eyes. 

After a brief time for questions, during which they were assured that their wedding planners had all of the fine print, Gretchen announced, "Teams, you have ten hours. Good luck!"

"Well, my Mishamigos," Misha began, wedging himself between Jared and Jensen and putting an arm around each of their necks, "let's get this party started!"

 

\---

“No, I do NOT think that dressing up as a dinosaur while parasailing behind a speedboat is the ultimate honeymoon activity,” Jensen vehemently declared as Misha presented him yet another crazy option.  “What is your obsession with costumes?!”

“Costumes make the man!” Misha countered.  Jared sniggered.  Jensen shot him a look.

Misha did have a point that costumes would give them points for creativity but he didn’t want to spend his honeymoon performing more crazy stunts.  Jensen’s ideal honeymoon involved a warm beach, a bedroom with white sheets, and a whole lot of sex.  With the hot man who was sitting across from him.  Feeling a stirring, Jensen blushed.  He wasn’t going to have sex onscreen but even thinking about it felt too personal when there were cameras right there.  He shifted forward, glad for the table that was blocking the view of his lower half.

“Well, if you’re not going to wear a costume, will you at least agree to parasailing?”

Sighing, Jensen said, “What about just regular sailing?  That sounds a lot more romantic to me.”  He flipped further into the brochure.  “We could rent a boat and sail around the Caribbean, just the two of us.”

“And a pirate flag?”

“Woah, hold on a second, now you’re sounding like Captain Jack!”

Misha frowned.  “You’re right, we can’t turn you into pirates.  That’s far too obvious.  What if we made your boat into the carnival of the damned?”

Even Jared looked shocked at that one.

“Crewed by monkeys? Ghost monkeys?  We could go to Costa Rica!”

“Uh, Misha?”

The man kept going on and on with outrageous ideas.

“You do know you’re not coming with us, right?”

He paused. “But it’s my idea!”

“No!”  On this, Jared and Jensen were united. 

Within a couple of hours, they found themselves down at the docks a little north of LA.  A few tour companies operated here and they rented out boats for wealthy clientele to sail down to Baja Mexico.  It wasn’t quite the Caribbean but it was close.  Some fast talking by Misha resulted in the three of them being taken for an afternoon sail by a cute young skipper.

“As you can see,” she said, once they were out beyond the breakers and skimming across the ocean, “she rides like a dream.  Very little roll.”

“And we don’t need a crew, right?” Jared confirmed.

“I checked your boy’s boat licence,” Danneel said, “and you’re good to go!”

Misha was staring mournfully at Danneel.  It was obvious what he wanted.  “Hey Misha,” said Jensen, feeling charitable. After all, they were on a boat, it was a gorgeous afternoon, and only one camera person had been able to come with them (and he was looking a little green).  “You wanna take over for a while?”

“You mean it?  You’ll trust me to drive?”

Jared’s face was saying, “No!” but Jensen needed to have some quiet time with Jared.  He trusted Misha to not tip them over.  Mostly.

But just in case, he checked that his life jacket was securely fastened.

“Go for it.  You’ll do great.”  Jensen clapped him on the shoulder and winked at Danneel.  “Now, Jared and I are going to check out the rest of this marvellous yacht.”

Below decks was classy, intimate, but way too claustrophobic for Jensen’s liking.  They instead made their way to the bow and sat on the edge, feet dangling, as they sped across the water.  For a while they sat in silence, watching as the wind whipped up peaks in the ocean.  Misha’s steering skills were more than adequate to keep the boat on a smooth course.

They were only a few weeks from proposal week, and it was great that Jared was here on the honeymoon planning task, but that wasn’t enough to alleviate the worry that was simmering.  Sure, Jared had played it up for the cameras.  He was a great actor and even though Jensen had witnessed it time and time again, it caused more doubt than it should. From this morning’s performance it seemed that Jared’s dinner with Sandy had meant nothing.

But right now, with Jared’s silence and the weight hanging on the both of them, Jensen knew things weren’t right.  And it wasn’t fair; it was just as Jensen was beginning to really fall for the guy, finally starting to let go and allow himself to indulge in those feelings.  Starting to believe the fantasy.  Starting to believe that Jared was exactly who he’d said he was: a guy who wanted to be on tv and that was all.

He stole a glance at Jared, but Jared resolutely fixed his gaze on the horizon. His face was usually so expressive but right now, Jensen had no inkling of how the other man was feeling. 

Finally, after several minutes of silence, Jared began to speak.  "So now you know."  He still didn’t look at Jensen and kept his hands clenched together in his lap.

"Jared… what do I know?"  He tried to be gentle, wanting to probe, not wanting to force the issue.

Jared didn’t speak for another few moments. "My real reason for signing up for this show."  He looked so sad, so lost.  “I had to do something after Sandy broke off our engagement.  I … I just couldn’t deal.  I had to keep busy.  And I always wanted to move to Hollywood anyway, so I said to myself this was the perfect thing.  I’d prove that I was okay and you know what, Jensen?”  For the first time, there was a hint of defiance in his voice.  “I wanted to meet someone and show them off and kiss them on national television and make Sandy regret everything.”

He sighed, looking down at his feet.  “Well, I got what I wanted.”

That made his heart lurch.  “You did?”

“Yeah.”  Even though they were sitting side by side, Jared seemed so far away.  “She came back to me.  Said she still loves me and wants to start over.  Said those words I dreamed about hearing.”  A pause.  “Six months ago that was all I wanted!”

Jensen’s heart was in his throat.  He’d been down this road before - falling for someone who was still in love with their ex.  It never ended well, no matter how much the other person protested that it was over, they were moving on, the heart never quite let go.

“So…what do you want now?” Jensen didn’t want to push.  He was here to listen.

“God, I don’t know.” Jared dropped his face into his hands.  “I loved her, you know?  I thought she was my soulmate. One minute we were getting ready to spend the rest of our lives together and the next, she was gone.  How do you ever forget something like that?”

“I don’t know if you can.”  Jensen wouldn’t be able to.

The boat rocked gently; it was still peaceful out there despite the turmoil in both hearts.   

“You’re right and that’s the problem.  I can try to forgive her but part of me will always wonder, what if she does that again?”

“So you didn’t see it coming?”

Jared shook his head.  “And that’s part of the problem, too. I thought we were pretty happy.  Sure, we had our ups and downs, but I thought that was just normal life stuff.  If I couldn’t even tell that something was wrong, well, what does that tell you about our relationship?”

“It tells me you’re a good guy who didn’t look for problems?” It was the only supportive thing Jensen could come up with, because Jared had a point.  It wasn’t a good relationship if one person didn’t understand the other was unhappy. 

“It tells me that I can’t even trust my own instincts.” He took a deep breath.  “And then here I am, sitting on a boat with you, and all of my instincts are telling me that I can trust you, and I want to, but we’re on a fucking reality tv show where we _have_ to date each other and so I don’t even know if that’s real either!”

“Hey, Jared.” He touched his shoulder.  “Jared.  Look at me.  I know we’re in a bubble here.  I know that everyone – me included – is playing the game.  But I want you to know that you can trust me.  I really like you, Jared.  I would’ve asked you out in a second if we met back home, without all of this.”  It was true, Jensen realised.  “I’ve got your back.”

Jared gave a bitter laugh.  “And that’s why this whole Sandy question is moot, anyway.  If I quit, then you lose, and I can’t do that to you.  I know you want this even more than I do.”

“I-“  He couldn’t argue with that.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask you to tell me why.  Hell, I wasn’t going to tell anyone about Sandy until the showrunners sprung her on me.”

Jensen’s heart constricted in his chest.  Keeping the secret from the showrunners, that was one thing.  Keeping the secret from Jared?  Who had just opened up to him?  It was wrong.  But it wasn’t his secret to share.  “I’m sorry,” he offered weakly.  “I would if I could.  I just….”

Shaking his head, Jared interrupted him again.  “It’s okay.  The less I know, the better.”  That was true; it meant the producers couldn’t use Jared against him.  “But what we need to figure out is what we’re going to do now.”

There was a new resolve in his voice.  Jared squared his shoulders and took a deep breath.  “We have a few weeks left.  We can do this one of two ways – agree now that this is all fake and ridiculous, and keep acting the hell out of it.  Then once we win, we can dissolve the marriage and say our goodbyes.”

“And you can go back to Sandy.” Was that what Jared wanted? 

But Jared was shaking his head.  “Sandy…that’s done.  It’s over.  I mean, I’m obviously not over her, but I need to be.”  And suddenly, it seemed like he was blushing. “That’s your doing, Jensen.  I actually do like you.  A lot.  And kissing you was really, really hot.”

Jensen had to remind himself to breathe as he asked, “So what’s option two?”

Nudging Jensen’s knee with his own, Jared scooted a little closer.  “We keep dating.  We both know there’s something there.  And if we get to the end and it still feels right, we get married.”

Wait.  “Did you just propose to me?!”

Jared laughed and it was wonderful.  “Don’t tell Gretchen; I’m not supposed to do that until week ten!”

Shooting a look over his shoulder, Jensen found the location of the cameraman.  Filming them, as usual.  Great.  But with the wind roaring past them, there’s no way he would have actually picked up their conversation.

“Well, I accept your proposal.  And maybe the next one will be my turn.”

Jared’s smile was wide enough to light up the entire boat.  And then he leaned in and kissed Jensen, and you know, with the right music added later, this moment was going to make some amazing television indeed. 

 

 

 

\---


	2. Chapter 2

Jensen closed his eyes and inhaled.  The scent of clean, fresh air almost overwhelmed him and a smile broke out on his face.  Home.  He was home.  Months in LA and he'd almost forgotten how good clean air tasted, and with Jared beside him, holding his hand, it was so much sweeter.

He was falling in love.

It was time to admit that now.  He'd denied it for a long time, pretended that it was all for the show.  But Jared's constant attention, his smiles, his wit, his crazy pranks and his tenacity had ultimately tipped Jensen over the edge.  How could he _not_ love Jared?  It was impossible.

And it was kinda terrifying.

Squeezing Jared's hand, Jensen opened his eyes.  "Ready to go meet the folks?"

Jared nodded, and they headed up the path towards the house.

"Jensen!  My baby!"  His mother came running out of the house, the perfect picture of Texan hospitality, and she gathered him into her arms.  He hugged her back tightly, slightly horrified to realise she was even thinner than she remembered.  How was it that she hid her frailty so well?  (She was like him; she didn't want to show it to the world.)  He wanted nothing more to keep her safe in his arms forever, but Jared was waiting.  There would be time for a heart to heart later. 

"Mom, I'd like to introduce you to someone special."  He glanced back, tugged Jared forward to him.  "This is Jared."

She took his hand between her own, then pulled him forward into a hug, standing on her toes to try and reach up around Jared's massive frame.  "It's so wonderful to finally meet you," she said.  "Jensen's told me so much." 

"It's wonderful to meet you too, Mrs. Ackles," he replied.

She gave him an impish smile.  "Now, I won't insist on this just yet, but soon enough I'm sure you're going to be calling me mom as well."

Jared laughed, and Jensen's apprehensiveness melted away.  Of course his family was going to love Jared, and Jared his family.

They were welcomed inside and shown to their rooms - separate rooms, his mom insisted, making it easy for Jensen.  Being around Jared was just too tempting but the idea of his parents knowing they were kissing or more, well, Jensen was a private man.  There were some things you just _couldn't_ do in your parents' house.

His parents had prepared an amazing feast and this was only the midday meal.  "Mom, you shouldn't have," Jensen said when he looked at the piles of food.  He couldn't keep the legitimate concern out of his voice.

"Don't worry, your father and sister helped out with most of this," she reassured him.  "Speaking of which, I think that's them now!"

Mackenzie walked into the dining room, stopped, looked Jared up and down, and gave a low, loud whistle.  "You did good, Jenny!" she teased.  She stuck out her hand and introduced herself.  "Hi, I'm Mac."

"Jared," he answered.

"Good to finally meet you!"  She leaned closer and whispered, but loud enough so that Jensen could hear, "I always figured Jenny would bring home a boyfriend when it was the right one.  Now that I can see you, I know why he thinks you're the right one!"

Amidst Jared's laughter, Jensen couldn't help but blush bright red.  There was no disputing how attractive Jared was, to anyone.

Jensen's father was quite a bit more reserved, but he firmly shook hands with both of them and welcomed Jared to his house.  By then, Jared was already switching back into his Texan drawl (the same thing had happened to Jensen earlier) and it was almost fascinating to watch all of the layers of 'LA' peel away from both of them. 

To Jensen's amusement, Jared really did become the life of the party.  Ackles' family gatherings were typically polite and, well, not quite boring, but laughter wasn't too common. Having Jared there changed the whole dynamic and he and Mac were riffing off each other in no time.  Even the ever-present camera crew were laughing. 

What amazed him the most, however, was how seamlessly Jared seemed to fit in.  Even though he was different, he fit.  His parents liked him, he could tell that Mac adored him, and it gave Jensen a warm glow in his heart as he saw how easy it was.  This was a world away from awkward family dinners in the past when he’d brought home a new girlfriend.  He’d never understood until now how the whole “two families become one” was a part of marriage, but suddenly it seemed clear.  It was so simple with the right person.

The entire family spent the afternoon together, sharing memories of Jensen, and introducing Jared to life in the Ackles family.  An aunt and uncle came to visit, resulting in a huge family game of charades – and Jensen should not have been surprised that Jared proceeded to kick ass. He and his teammate Mac won by a long shot. 

Dinner was just as fun, more laughter, more great memories were made.  After washing the dishes together, Jensen took Jared's hand.  "Come with me," he said.  "I want to show you everything."

He took him out back, to the tree he’d climbed in as a kid.  Through the meandering paths near the property, and even past the neighbours’ houses.  “That’s where my best friend lived,” Jensen pointed out, “and that’s where we kicked a ball and accidentally broken Mr. Martin’s window!”

Jared pulled him into an impulsive hug, saying, “I can’t imagine you ever getting into trouble, Jen.  You seem like you would’ve been such a good kid!”

“Unlike you?” he teased in return, which earned him a quick kiss and a wicked grin. 

“Oh, I can be good,” Jared promised.  “I can be very good!”

They returned to the house, where the producer insisted that Jensen take Jared to his childhood bedroom.  Ugh.  It was moments like this - the forced romance - that threatened to break the spell. Still, Jensen played along and tried to forget the cameras squeezing in behind them. 

“Well, this is my room.”  For some reason, he was freezing up.  Act, dammit! he told himself.  But here, in his home, he didn’t want to.

He hadn’t been acting all day.  Showing Jared the neighbourhood had been real.  Dinner with his family had been real.  This moment should have been real too, showing Jared his old STAR WARS toys (which would be worth a hell of a lot more these days if he hadn’t played with them!), the embarrassing posters of girls left on the walls, the framed high school diploma, and even his favourite comforter that he’d picked out at age 13 because it was the “coolest thing ever”.

“I can’t believe your parents just let you keep all your stuff here.  That’s really sweet!” enthused Jared as he played with an X-Wing.  “My parents packed everything up and turned my room into a guest room the minute I was off to college.”

Jared shrugged.  “I always came home every summer so they kept the room ready for me, and then I tried the music thing for a while so I was on the road a lot, and you know….”  He had never really thought about it before.  “I guess we all thought I would just keep coming back.”  It was always so nice to be able to return home and things be exactly the same. 

And then he remembered, and knew that things weren’t going to be the same for much longer.  He’d seen it already, the house looking more and more run down, the tiredness and stress in everyone’s faces. 

Jared must have sensed his distress because he pulled Jensen into a hug, hiding Jensen’s face from the cameras.  “I’m so glad you showed me this.”  He was overacting; Jensen could tell, but in this moment, he was so grateful.  “It’s like getting a window into your past.”

They stood there for a while, then Jared directly addressed the crew.  “Are we done here?  It’s getting late; I’m pretty tired.”

The producer, Rachel, looked at her notes.  “I really think this scene would work better with a kiss.”

Great.  Now that several (real) kisses between them had been aired, apparently scripting them was no problem.  Jensen didn’t particularly want to kiss Jared just for the cameras but if it meant they would stop filming for the day, he was fine with that. 

Not that it was any hardship kissing Jared.

He even managed to inject a little passion into it.

“Okay, now we need a shot of you walking Jared to his bedroom and kissing him goodnight.”

Jared laughed.  “Seriously, guys?  That makes it seem like I’m a little kid!  You want Jensen to tuck me into bed as well?”

They managed to compromise on a quick peck at the door, before Jared closed the door behind him. 

Finally, at long last, Jensen was free of the filming.  He walked the crew to the door (they’d be sleeping in rented trailers outside since there wasn’t enough room in the house).  Then he headed to the kitchen, feeling a wave of relief wash over him.  Alone at last.  Free of the constant intrusion, and free to just be.

His mom was sitting in the living room, quietly reading and Jensen couldn’t have been more glad to see her.  She was the one he wanted to talk to, more than anything.

“Jensen.”  She gave him such a huge smile.  “Sit down.”

He cuddled up to her on the couch, not caring if he was far too old for this.  She was his _mom_ and that gave him a pass forever.

“How are you doing, Mom?” he asked. 

“I’m doing okay, Jen,” she answered.  “Better than expected, really.  One of my doctors said it’s because you’re giving me hope, but I think it’s because I’m having far too much fun watching you and your young man.”

That made Jensen squirm.  “Even the kissing?”

She laughed.  “The look on your father’s face during those scenes makes it more than worth it!”  Just picturing it made Jensen laugh too.

“I’m so proud of you, Jensen.  You’ve made it this far!”

“We won a lot of money too,” he added.  “Not enough yet, but it will help.”

“Thank you,” she replied, hugging him close.  “I’m so lucky you’re my son.  But I want you to know, Jensen, that you don’t have to marry Jared just for me.  I want you to promise me that you’ll only do it if you really want to.”

He couldn’t make that promise.  He’d decided when he signed up for the show that he would do whatever it took to win the money, to try and save his mom.  “Mom, I don’t know what’s going to happen; we might not even make it to the end of the show.”

She stared him down in a way only a parent could.  She knew he was hedging.  “Consider this a last request…”

“Don’t say that!”

Sorrowfully, she said, “We have to face the truth sometime, baby.  Even if we had the money, there’s no guarantee.”

“I don’t believe that.”  He couldn’t.  This was his mom and she was still so young.

“What does Jared think?”

Jensen couldn’t avoid answering again.  “I haven’t told him.”  He looked down. 

“You should talk to him,” she said.  “He’s a good man and I’m so happy to see you with him.  But if you two have any chance of making a lasting relationship, you have to be honest.”  She smiled to herself.  “There are things I didn’t want to tell your father about when we first started dating, but he eventually got the truth out of me.  And that just made our relationship even stronger.”

“I know,” replied Jensen.  “I just…I don’t want it to end up on the show.”

She patted his hand.  “Then tell him while he’s here.  Those Hollywood people, they won’t be back until after breakfast tomorrow, right?”

Jensen nodded.

“There’s your chance.”

She was right.  And she was so wise.  Tears welled up in his eyes as he pictured a life without his mom.  He didn’t want to face that.  But he knew he had to be brave and keep on smiling.  For her.

 

Later that night, under the cover of darkness, he snuck into Jared’s room.  Told him, in a hushed whisper, the truth.  Jared held him while he choked back tears and after that as well.  It was the first time they’d spent the night in each other’s arms, and Jensen wouldn’t have had it any other way.

 


	3. Chapter 3

He woke shortly after dawn, not sure what had caused the sudden shift from sleep to wakefulness.  The first hints of daylight?  The song of the birds, taking him back to childhood?  Or was it the subtle shift of the man beside him, who had slung a heavy arm around Jensen's waist?

He felt at peace.  The weight of keeping the secret from Jared was gone.  And he felt safe.  It was the two of them in a small cocoon of time, surrounded by the protection and love of Jensen's family.

Snuggling closer to Jared, he breathed in deeply.  This was the first night they'd actually spent together and in a way, it had been perfect, because it had happened organically.  There was no awkward set-up, no expectation, just the two of them naturally falling asleep. 

It felt so easy and Jensen realised it was the best night's sleep he'd had in a while.  Was it due to relief?  Or the comforting presence of Jared?

He couldn't resist nuzzling closer and was rewarded by the shirtless Jared pulling him in.  Bodies pressed against each other, their entire lengths sharing heat, and even the stubble against Jensen's cheek didn't feel so much as scratchy as...hot.

There was something very, very attractive about Jared in moments like this, as he dreamed peacefully, his expression so open.  (Hell, there was something very attractive about Jared all the damn time, but this was different, seeing him in repose.  Seeing the face of the man without the careful control.)

He wondered what it would be like to see Jared completely lose control.  And of course, he couldn't stop his thoughts drifting to what Jared would be like as a lover - would he be gentle? Take charge?  He pictured the man with his head thrown back, his body arched, and, okay, Jensen was getting hard now.

Shifting didn't help, it just bumped his cock up against Jared's stomach which felt even better.  And he was torn: the right thing to do would be to extract himself from the situation, after all, sex hadn't yet been on the table and he certainly wasn't going to molest Jared while the other man was still asleep.

But it felt so damn good being there, and he _wanted_.  Wanted that physical closeness, some kind of salve to the slow burn that he'd been resolutely ignoring.  And if he allowed himself to think about it, he knew they would have slept together weeks ago had they met outside the context of the show.

Well, that was a way to kill his boner.  Thinking of the show.  He sighed, pulling himself back, only to be surprised by a strong tug on his waist, preventing him from leaving.  "Don't go," came the sleepy whisper.

"You're awake?"  He kept his voice low.

"Mmmm."  Jared sleepily nuzzled Jensen's face, then his neck, planting a kiss there.  "Awake enough."

The kiss sent a zing of fire down his spine.  In spite of himself, Jensen let his hips thrust forward, his interest obvious.  Jared replied by capturing Jensen's mouth in a kiss.

Maybe it was meant to be chaste, maybe not, but it didn't take long until Jared's tongue was in his mouth and his hands were all over Jensen's body.  Skating over his shirt, his pants, grabbing his butt and pulling their groins together.  The motion elicited a groan from Jensen, he wanted more.  Now he felt free to run his hands all over Jared's magnificent chest and back, tracing the planes, feeling the rippling muscles.

Jared reached under Jensen's shirt, his fingers finding a nipple.  That sent another thrum of desire through his body as he kissed Jared's jaw, his neck, and then back up to reclaim his lips.

In the meantime, Jared was insistently lifting at Jensen's shirt, and it was almost annoying to have to interrupt the kisses but once the fabric was gone, the temperature seemed to go up another hundred degrees as they could finally press skin-to-skin.

It felt amazing.  Jensen couldn't believe it was happening and Jared's cock was pushing insistently into his hip, so it only seemed right that he could bring his hand down to grab it, hold it, apply pressure the way he liked it himself, and it seemed _that_ was the right thing to do because Jared let out a low, sexy moan.

The tip was slick; Jensen ran his thumb over it, gently, eliciting another groan from the man.

And he wanted to keep going, he really did, but he knew that the soundproofing in his parents' house was terrible and he really had to put an end to this right now, but dammit, Jared was right there and he was the sexiest thing Jensen had ever seen and he would do anything right then and there to see Jared come.

He kissed Jared again, trying to quiet him, as he wriggled out of his own shorts so that their cocks were both free and could press together, grinding closer and closer.  Jared wrapped a hand around both of them and if Jensen could live in this moment forever, he would, and he didn't even care anymore that they were too noisy for the tiny house and then there was a knock at the door.

Shit.

"Time to wake up!" called one of the producers.  "We have a lot to do today!"

Right now, Jensen wanted to kill her.

He sprang back from Jared, giving him a contrite look, and then realised that as far as the producers knew, he was safely tucked up in his own bed.  He yanked his pants back up and gave Jared an apologetic kiss.  Jared, however, seemed to be gently laughing in resignation.

Jensen lifted his eyebrows.

"I'll be up soon!" Jared called out.  Then whispered to Jensen, "I'll be fine, but you’re the one who has to walk back to his own room."  Oh, that was wickedly cruel. 

For that, Jensen gave him a slow, sexy kiss, then leaned down to briefly suck Jared's cock.

And on that note, he opened the door a crack, waited for the corridor to clear, and left.

 

\---

Meeting Jared’s family was a whole different ball game.  “I didn’t know you were loaded!” Jensen half-teased, half-enthused.  Sure, Jared had designer clothing, but seeing the palatial house, the fancy cars, the ritzy street, it made Jensen realise Jared had an entirely different lifestyle to his own.

“It’s my parents, not me!” Jared quickly said.  “I just get the benefit of living in this fabulous place whenever I come to visit.”

Jared’s parents were nice enough but it was a very different feeling to visiting Jensen’s family.  Jensen was so glad he’d been to see his own parents first.  Those two days had been such a relief, a time to feel normal before being thrust back into the crazy.  Even if this time, the crazy was meeting his potential new in-laws.

They did pretty much the same thing as they’d done with Jensen’s family – met everyone, shown Jensen around, and hosted a fancy, formal dinner.  Jared insisted that Jensen wear a suit.  “My father – he’s not easy to impress, so you’ve got to dress up.”  But wearing a tie made Jensen feel even less like himself.  Still, he tried.  It was important to make a good impression. 

 

“I don’t think they like me,” Jensen confessed at the end of the long day when the cameras were gone and he’d snuck into Jared’s bedroom. 

“No, they like you!” Jared protested.  “They just take a while to warm up to people.  They’re like this with anyone new.”  He frowned, almost if he wasn’t sure if he should say any more.  “Look, truth is, they really didn’t approve of me going on the show.  They think it was beneath me.”

Jensen was tempted to ask if he was beneath Jared as well, but that had potential to go in a whole different direction.

A sexy direction.

Which would probably be the perfect distraction right now.

 

\---

 

In the end, it was Jared’s sister Meg who cornered him.

“I’m sorry if my parents and Jeff are giving you a hard time,” she said.  “It’s just hard to get used to, you know?”

“The whole reality dating TV show thing?” Jensen replied.  “Believe me, I know.  I was surprised my parents took it so well.”

“It’s not just that,” she said, looking concerned.  “It’s, well, you know about Sandy, right?”

He nodded.  Sandy.  That explained a lot.  She was the elephant in the room.

“It seems like just a few weeks ago that we were busy planning Jay’s wedding to her.  And now instead of that, you’re here.  And you’re planning a wedding that we have nothing to do with.  And, well, that’s really tough on my mom.”  Her hands were scrunched together in the same way Jensen had seen Jared’s hands clench whenever he was stressed.

“Maybe we could get her involved somehow?”

Megan laughed.  “Oh no, that’s the last thing she wants.  It was hard enough getting her to agree to appear on the show in the stuff we did today!”  The filming at Jared’s house had been noticeably limited to carefully controlled scenarios.  “She did it because she loves Jared and wants to be supportive of his career.”

She took a deep breath, hesitating.  “But we all think it was too soon.”  She saw the crestfallen look on Jensen’s face and reached out to give him a reassuring pat.  “That’s not your fault, it’s nothing to do with you!  We just wish he would’ve taken a bit more time to get over her, you know?  Date around, maybe go travelling.”

“Yeah.”  He couldn’t disagree with that. 

“Jumping straight into marriage, though?”  She shook her head.  It was obvious she thought it was crazy.

“Megan, listen, I would never force Jared into something he didn’t want to go through with.”

“Yeah, but how long have you known him?” she countered.  “Things might be great right now but what happens six months down the road?  When the show’s over and it’s just you and him, living in LA?”

Living in LA?  That was another thing Jensen hadn’t thought about.  The surprise apparently showed on his face, because Megan continued with, “You know that’s his plan, right?”

“I – yeah, I do know.”  That was true, at least, but he hadn’t pictured himself fitting into that.  Jensen was assuming he’d go back to Texas, and if he visualised his perfect future, Jared was with him, his mom was healthy, and that was all that mattered.

For the first time, he started to comprehend just how big of a deal actual marriage would be.  Because up until now, it had just been a vague possibility, something to laugh about if he actually made it to the end of the show.

But this?  Meeting each other’s families?  Planning for the future?  That was a big deal.  It was huge.

And one of them was supposed to propose in the next few weeks.

“Megan, I want you to know that I love your brother.  You might think it’s too fast, but I really do care about him.  And I promise you, I will do what’s right for him.”  He met her gaze directly.  “The last thing I want is for Jared to get hurt again.”

“Thank you, Jensen,” she said, then smiled.  “I knew you were a good guy.  And if things work out, well, I am one hundred percent behind you.”

Gratefully, he smiled at her, and accepted the offered hug.  It was good to know there was at least one Padalecki besides Jared on his side.


	4. Chapter 4

Gretchen smiled widely at the camera. "Well folks, it's been a wild rollercoaster of a week with meeting everyone's families. How has it changed the relationships? Will this inspire a proposal or two? Or will some couples decide it's time to walk away?

Make sure you vote for your favourites!

Derek and Kate.  
Jared and Jensen.  
Chuck and Blair.  
Or Stiles and Lydia.

Who will be the first to make that big commitment?

See you all for next week's episodes and the final challenges before proposals!"


End file.
